'Grootlore'.
Peter Gullerud is a self-taught American comic artist, animator and painter. As a comic artist he is best known for his fantasy comic 'Grootlore' (1989) and the newspaper comic series 'Hueby' (2002-2003).
Early life and career
Peter Gullerud was born in 1957 in Wisconsin and moved to California, where he has spent most of his life. Among his graphic influences are Edvard Munch, Vincent Van Gogh, Maynard Dixon and Roger Dean. He studied theology, but broke off his studies to work in the animation industry in Los Angeles. He contributed to the Hanna-Barbera film 'Heidi's Song' (1982) and worked at the Walt Disney Studios, first as an assistant effects animator, then as a breakdown and inbetween artist, and finally as part of the visual department. His credits include such Disney films as 'TRON' (1982), 'The Black Cauldron' (1985), 'The Great Mouse Detective' (1986), 'Oliver & Co' (1988), 'The Little Mermaid' (1989), 'The Rescuers Down Under' (1990) and 'Aladdin' (1992). Gullerud later moved to Warner Bros, where he worked on the visual development of the animated films 'Space Jam' (1996) and 'Iron Giant' (1999).
'Hueby'.
Painting
Gullerud eventually left animation, and focused on painting wildlife art, working with California's Mountain Lion Foundation and actress Tippi Hedren's animals at the Shambala Preserve in Acton, California. He resides in the quaint village of Pine Mountain Club, California, in the Los Padres National Forest, where his works are displayed in local businesses and sold throughout the country.
Grootlore
Peter Gullerud is also the creator of 'Grootlore', a comic series set in a mythical world. It was published in comic books through Fantagraphics in 1989, and in later years Gullerud has been posting new installments online.
Hueby
Between 2002 and 2003, Gullerud drew the offbeat family gag comic 'Hueby', which ran The Chicago Reader. It centers on a young teenager, Hueby, whose parents are Christian-fundamentalists. The gags tend to be a subversion of the typical "happy" families found in newspaper comics. Hueby's parents, for instance, cut off his left hand, because it "did offensive things". They also worry he'll go to Hell for believing in the evolution theory.
Illustration work and other activities
Gullerud has also contributed to the Graphic Classics editions about Robert Louis Stevenson (2004) and O. Henry (2005). He remains a member of the Animators Guild of America.
Comic strip adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Two Matches'.